A would-be robber walked up behind a man and struck him several times with a metal pipe around just after midnight this morning, police say.

The attack happened as the man was entering a residential building on the 900 block of S. Buchanan Street, in the Barcroft neighborhood near Columbia Pike.

The victim suffered non-life threatening injuries, police said, while the suspect — who tried but failed to steal items from the victim — fled the scene and remains at large.

More from an Arlington County Police Department crime report:

MALICIOUS WOUNDING, 2019-09190004, 900 block of S. Buchanan Street. At approximately 12:07 a.m. on September 19, police were dispatched to the report of an assault that had just occurred. Upon arrival, it was determined that the male victim was walking into a residential building when the suspect approached him from behind and struck him several times with a metal pole. The suspect attempted to steal the victim’s personal property, but the victim was able to push the suspect away. The suspect then fled the scene on foot. The victim was transported to an area hospital with non-life threatening injuries. A perimeter was established and a search of the area yielded negative results. The suspect is described as a black male, in his 30’s, 5’6″ tall with short black hair. He was wearing a dark colored shirt and beige shorts at the time of the incident. The investigation is ongoing.